The most important development for Slovakia in 2008 was the approval of the country’s entry into the euro zone as of Jan. 1, 2009. Despite skepticism over Slovak inflation prospects, European Union authorities backed the move mid-year, and the final conversion rate was set at 30.126 koruna per euro, a much stronger rate than was originally expected. Although many Slovaks also feared that euro adoption could negatively affect inflation, the accession was a source of pride. Slovakia would be the second EU state in the former communist bloc—after Slovenia—to be admitted to the euro zone.

In February, Prime Minister Robert Fico received another boost from abroad when the Party of European Socialists (PES) readmitted his party, Smer (“Direction”). The PES, an umbrella group for left-wing parties within the EU, had suspended Smer’s membership after the 2006 elections, when Fico formed a coalition government with two parties—the Slovak National Party (SNS) and the People’s Party–Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (LS-HZDS)—that were seen as outside the European mainstream. According to the PES, the decision to restore Smer’s membership was based on Fico’s demonstrated social-democratic orientation and commitment to minority rights. Hungary, however, continued to see the SNS’s presence in the Slovak cabinet as a threat to Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarians, and bilateral tensions flared in late 2008.

From a political standpoint, Slovakia was quite stable in 2008; the three ruling parties continued to register strong public support, while the opposition struggled to find its voice. The government was not without scandal, though; three ministers were replaced, and calls were made for the resignation of several others. Still, the opposition had few tools to use against the ruling coalition, particularly since the economy continued to perform relatively well, benefiting from reform measures taken during the 2002–06 term.

One issue of particular concern was a controversial press bill that the opposition believed would limit pluralism. The opposition parties vowed to block the ratification of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty as long as the government insisted on the passage of the press bill. After several months of wrangling, however, the opposition’s tactics failed; the parliament backed both documents in April, and one of the three opposition parties ended up voting in favour of the treaty.

In the first months after the international financial crisis struck, the Slovak economy held up well; several foreign investors ramped up production, and falling unemployment and rising wages drove household demand. Nevertheless, leading companies warned that the business environment was deteriorating under Fico.

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